A chemical that will keep methamphetamine makers from using anhydrous ammonia as a raw material for the drug will be added to the popular nitrogen fertilizer, state officials said Monday.

Marvin Van Haaften, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, said the chemical, known as calcium nitrate, can be added to each of the 26,000 tanks used for application of anhydrous ammonia in Iowa.

Calcium nitrate renders the anhydrous ammonia useless as a seedstock for methamphetamine, Van Haaften said.

"This is a big deal," Van Haaften said.

Ninety percent of meth used in Iowa is imported from Mexico, so the chemical additive won.t have an impact on that, he said, but it will be a serious barrier for Iowa-based meth makers.

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A chemical that will prevent methamphetamine makers from using anhydrous ammonia as a raw material for the drug will be added to the widely used nitrogen fertilizer, state officials said Monday.

Marvin Van Haaften, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, said the chemical, known as calcium nitrate, can be added to each of the 26,000 tanks used in Iowa for the application of anhydrous ammonia.

The discovery of the inhibitor has national and international implications because of the widespread use of methamphetamine, he said.

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